Computers and the Body: The Ergonomics Solution

Ergonomics! Maybe you know the term because an "ergonomics" person at work improved your computer setup, and maybe you ended up lucky with a nice new chair to sit on. Maybe ergonomics seems like one of those important, but boring subjects we don't really have to think about. If you have an injury associated with long hours at the computer, you might know a lot about ergonomics. Repetitive stress injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome, neck and back sprains, chronic muscles strains, "slipped discs"- in all these complex disorders there is almost always an element of poor ergonomics.

Computer Use and Workers
Ergonomics is the study of the relationship between people as workers and their work environment (ergo means work in Greek). Good ergonomics is designing the right tool for the job. Because 90 % of all US workers now use computers (over 40% of them more than 4 hours a day), we need the science of ergonomics to help us make this work experience as healthy as possible.

Bad ergonomics is bad economics. Injuries associated with muscle and joint disorders, many of them now computer related, cost employers 20 billion dollars in workers compensation costs in 2002 with indirect costs of 60 billion dollars annually. And conditions diagnosed as "carpal tunnel syndrome" resulted in the highest median number of days lost from work than all other injuries and illnesses combined!

More dramatic, and heartbreaking, than statistics, is the personal toll a repetitive stress injury takes, both physically and emotionally. Because you can't see these chronic pain injuries they can be a source of shame and resulting depression for the injured, and effectively end promising careers.

On the brighter side, improving your computer environment is not expensive or even that difficult. You might have to do some rearranging, perhaps purchase some new equipment and perhaps change some ingrained habits. If you need motivation, remember that repetitive stress injuries are sneaky.

Faced with having to do a task over and over again, because of bad ergonomics, the body adapts and adapts again. We feel nothing and go merrily about our computer tasks. Finally the body can no longer adapt and pain begins.

What took so long to occur doesn't easily go away. Just ask one of my chronic pain patients. The secret is to start preventing these injuries now, before they become a problem. As always, when it comes to treating injuries and chronic pain, prevention is the best medicine.

This series of articles addresses how you can create a healthy computer environment, based on good ergonomics. Actually ergonomics isn't boring, as you will see, but a fascinating field with practical health-saving applications that you can use today.

Computer Monitors: What Makes Ergonomic Sense?

Computer Keyboards and Mouses: What Really Works Best for the Body?